Fans of the long-running Far Side comic strip series by Gary Larson will be happy to know that the comic artist is still updating his personal website to this day with reruns of his famous comics as well as the occasional new comic strip. The new comics are faithful to the original run and add some new ideas and art styles to make them enjoyable additions to his canon.
The single-panel comics can make hilarious and insightful statements about humanity, the world, philosophy, and nature with only one line and one picture. And in these short, but brilliant comics, Larson can often make very dark and grim points. Nature can be brutal and Larson is never afraid to depict it if it means getting out a particularly funny joke. His darkest comics can sometimes be his most funny, but that doesn't mean they're not eye-brow raising.
Python And Baby
Gary Larson seems eternally fascinated by how most animals would eat humans if given the chance. Many of his comics show predators hunting or consuming people and while dark, they're still funny in their absurdity, and It's good to see animals win one over humans every once in a while.
But in this comic, Larson takes it a step further. If it's not clear from the caption-less comic, it appears that a large snake has snuck into a baby's crib. But the baby is nowhere to be seen. The snake is sitting happily with a large lump in its stomach that could be only one thing. It's a dark joke about leaving children unattended but at least the snake seems pleased.
D. B. Cooper
Some of the funniest Far Side comics are never afraid to imply the darkest ends for the characters in the strips, even when it's a real lie character like D. B. Cooper. D. B. Cooper is the epithet of an unknown man who hijacked a plane for ransom money then parachuted out of it, never to be found again.
Larson's idea of what happened to the thief is about as brutal an end as one can find. In the Far Side panel, D. B. slowly floats into a cage filled with large silhouetted dogs looking expectantly up at the approaching man. The idea that these rottweilers made short work of the man is made darker by the fact that their owner is right there, sleeping through the whole scene.
He's Stuffed Himself!
Sometimes Gary Larson makes comics about cows talking to people, and sometimes he goes in completely other directions and draws grim comics about what it would look like if a bear wanted to take its own life. This is quite a dark idea for anyone to open up the newspaper comic section and find.
The dopey look on the bear helps to alleviate some of the grimness of the scene and the childish spelling of "Goodbye World" makes the scene slightly more comic. But none of that changes the fact that the point of the scene is Leonard the bear decided to stuff himself for his friends to come and find.
Pinocchio's Wish Is Granted
Gary Larson's strange and unique sense of humor has led to some very funny Far Side comics that not many other writers could think up. Take this comic showing Pinocchio's later life. In the world of the Far Side, there is no rhyme or reason to when the wooden boy gets his wish finally granted, leading to a short-lived experience as a "real boy".
Besides the implication that Pinocchio is about to be eaten by lions, the real darkness of this comic comes from the backstory Larson crams into one picture. This version of Pinocchio seems to actually be content with being a doll, he's found a way to enjoy himself. It's darkly ironic then that it's at this moment his wish to be real finally comes true.
Cake Ingredients
Even chickens like to cook and bake in the Far Side universe but since many baking directions require eggs this presents a moral conundrum to the anthropomorphic hens. In this comic, it seems that the chicken is considering the quandary but may be considering how bad it really is to use eggs in her recipe. There are at least three after all.
Why the chicken is cooking a cake in the first place isn't at issue in this comic. What is, and what makes it so dark is it that it appears those eggs were never intended for cooking, they look like they're in a nursery. So that the hen is even considering using her own children just to make a baked good is worrying.
Wall Of Ice Closer Today?
In the 80s when this comic came out, it was dark, and it's even darker today. The idea of an Ice Age is a well-known event that has happened many times in earth's history and most likely wiped out tribes of Neanderthals unable to cope with the freezing temperatures. So to see a couple of primitive humans deciding if they should be worried about an approaching wall of ice is quite grim when the reader knows what happens next.
And now, in a world beset by climate crisis, the comic takes on a doubly dark meaning because it's apparent that the two cavemen could be replaced by contemporary humans. Those two characters could be anyone on earth now seeing the impending signs of climate change and wondering if it's time to start worrying.
Cub Scouts
If there was any question about whether Gary Larson lost some of his edge between the end of the Far Side's syndicated run and his recent resumption of comic writing, this comic is a sure sign he's still happy to make any joke that comes into his head. This comic doesn't seem to have much more purpose than to let Larson draw something grim, absurd, and funny.
The caption reads "Bears Eating Cub Scouts" which appears to be exactly what is happening in the scene. The thing saving this comic from just being a dark, mean strip is that the cub scouts aren't scared or in pain, as they get honey poured on them. They look like the bears bought them at a supermarket.
Clown In A Gun Store
Unlike something like the Calvin and Hobbes comics, the Far Side has only one panel to tell a story and a joke. In this comic, there is a very dark backstory told just by one short line and drawing.
It's unclear exactly what happened to this clown to drive him to purchase a gun and think about his retribution, but it must have been pretty bad for this event to take place. The implied threat that the clown is going to use his purchase on those who laughed at him, i.e. everyone, makes this a particularly grisly comic.
Donner Party Memorial
Gary Larson has a morbid fascination with the Donner Party as this is not his only comic on the subject. The Donner Party was a wagon train in the 1800s that got lost on its way to California. The steps they took to survive the winter in the wilderness are why they are now synonymous with cannibalism.
Something about that must tickle Larson because in this comic, he drew a giant visual gag poking fun at the event. A memorial to the Donner Party would have to mention the most infamous aspect of the pilgrimage but to make the statue an obvious and absurd example of what eating someone could look like is darkly hilarious.
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Leave it to Larson to think about a children's nursery rhyme from a completely different angle that turns the happy poem into a dark, comedy portrait. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is about a shepherd girl, Mary, having a lamb, as in owning one.
But in the world of the Far Side, Mary "having" a little lamb means she helped herself to a dish of lamb. The idea alone is pretty dark but the way Larson writes the caption makes it clear that Mary herself is aware that this is an unsavory thing for her to do.